Debate Continues Over Asbestos Bill

June 8, 2006 - Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa) organized a hearing on Wednesday, June 7th, hoping to rally support and push fellow Senators into approving the revised Fairness in Asbestos Resolution (FAIR) act.

But the hearing, which was packed with lobbyists, brought varying opinions from those who feel strongly for either side.  The Minneapolis Star Tribune noted that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), one of the few Democratic backers, said she has "become more and more concerned as to whether we can ever get the kind of support necessary" to pass a bill.  "So much is unknown about the impact of it," she said.

In contrast, representatives of the National Association of Manufacturers, the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the asbestos workers union were there to offer their support for the bill.  However, the former director of the Congressional Budget Office warned that the legislation's latest revisions would certainly either shortchange victims or force a taxpayer bailout, said the newspaper.

Consumer and victims groups agreed, stressing that the bill would leave many asbestos sufferers with no legal recourse.  “This bill was already a bad bill for asbestos victims. It has now become considerably worse," Susan Vento, widow of Minnesota congressman Bruce Vento and the chairwoman of the Committee to Protect Mesothelioma Victims, said at a news conference.  Bruce Vento died of mesothelioma in 2000.